Reasons Why You Aren’t Getting Hired
Have you been on dozens of interviews but still have no job to call your own, even though you thought everything went well every time you sat down with a potential employer? If you really have not made any huge interview faux pas there may be other, slightly less obvious reasons why you job search is taking longer than you had hoped:
Job Descriptions – Read it properly. Do you really meet all the criteria? In years past, when there were plenty of jobs to go around a few extra years’ experience could compensate for a lack of skill in a certain area but in a tight job market that is simply no longer the case. If you find yourself discounting (or losing out on) job opportunity after job opportunity because you cannot meet one certain criteria don’t just give up, do something about it.
Words mean a Lot – It is one thing to have a resume that is free of grammar and spelling errors but if that resume is full of “jargon” chances are it is hurting your chances of landing a job every bit as much as a resume that is grammatically incorrect as a first graders English essay. Use keywords yes, they catch the recruiters eye but do not stuff your resume full of incomprehensible nonsense.
Wrong Fit – Your interview suit is killer, you meet every point in the job description and your resume would make Bill Gates blush, but you still don’t get the job. Unfortunately there really is no perfect recipe for getting hired. Sometimes, it’s just a matter of personality or a clash with the unstated corporate culture. You just don’t fit and you will probably never even know why. . It’s all perfectly legal (if a little sad) but the point to remember it’s not you, its them.
Unreal Expectations – Are you simply aiming too high? Are you still sitting in the backyard at home scoring the classifieds for the perfect job while the bills mount up? We would all love to snag our dream job but the fact is you have to settle for one that is good enough. No one says that you have to go to work in McDonalds if you were previously a NASA engineer but you do need to be willing to make a few compromises if you want to end upon somebody’s payroll.
Job Ads Decoded
Most of us know that online dating profiles are written in a special language that if you take the time to decipher it tells you a little more about the person posting it than they may have intended. The same holds true for some job descriptions. Decoding some of the language you encounter as you search for the right position may help you get a better idea about what you really might be in for. A basic primer:
“Great growth opportunities” – This line comes most often from smaller and startup companies whose dreams tend to be a little larger than their budgets. Roughly translated this phrase often means “if you work for us for 60 hours a week, for less than you were looking for, you may get to exercise some stock options when we go public.”
Before you consider a job like this think carefully. If it is in a field you truly love and your lifestyle can accommodate a little belt tightening it may very well be worth going for. If you need a little more stability though, growth opportunities don’t mean a lot if the company goes belly up in a year.
“Ability to Work Independently Essential “– Sometimes this phrase can be an indication that there is a lack of actual leadership at the company and that new employees have to be able to fend for themselves. For some people this might be a dream come true, no boss breathing down your neck every five minutes. If you snag an interview try to glean from your interviewer what the real day to day responsibilities of the position are. If she doesn’t seem to know (generate media coverage is not a good answer for instance) that’s a sure sign that you’d have to figure out most of it yourself.
“Flexible on Work Hours” – Although it is not always the case this line often means that the prospective employer wants you to be flexible, not the company. And by flexible they mean the willingness to come in on a Sunday afternoon on two hours’ notice or work long into the night to get a project finished. In other words they want you to accommodate them, not the other way around.
Do Resume Gimmicks Ever Pay Off?
Job seekers hear, read and see so much advice about what to include on their resume, as well as what not to, that you might think that most people have a pretty good idea of how to write a great resume by now. However, as demonstrated by a recent Career Builder study that is not always the case. Human resources professionals were asked to submit the strangest resume inclusions they had ever encountered. Some of them were obvious ploys to grab the recruiter’s attention, while others? Who knows. Here are some of the best (or is that the worst?)
- A female candidate included a letter of recommendation – from her mother.
- A candidate explained (as he should) the reason for a gap in his employment history. He took three months out to mourn the death of his cat.
- Another candidate tackled the always sticky issue of a criminal record. He stole a pig, but it was, he went on to assure recruiters, only a really small pig.
- A gentleman listed one of his hobbies ( a no no these days in itself) as sitting on a levee at night watching the alligators.
All very funny, but in a job market that is still rather tight do gimmicks (and humor) actually work when you are trying to stand out from the masses? Once in a while you will hear a tale or read a news story about how a clever trick piqued a recruiter’s interest and helped the poor candidate get the job but in the real world it’s rare. On the whole whatever the industry, such things will not get you job. More likely you will become an anecdote for the recruiter you targeted to share after dinner at some future event (or to share with a national survey) but that will do little for your personal career prospects.
Best Holiday Gifts to Give a Job Seeker
Most of us would love to say that we have all of our holiday gift shopping done by now but the fact is that most of us don’t. If there is a job seeker yet to be crossed off your shopping list why not consider giving them something that can be truly useful to them this year instead of just that jumbo tin of popcorn? Here are some great gift ideas, inexpensive and not so, for meaningful gifts to brighten a job seeker’s holiday season;
- A stylish briefcase or portfolio. Something that matches their style without being too outré.
- A serious, expensive looking watch. The keyword here is expensive looking. It does not have to be a Rolex, just a timepiece that looks like it means business. No more Mickey Mouse.
- A gift certificate for a hair salon and/or a spa. Pamper them and improve their image at the same time.
- An upscale looking pen. It makes a terrible impression on an interviewer when an otherwise impressive candidate fishes their sister’s well chewed Jonas Brothers pen out of their bag because it was all that they could find before leaving the house.
- A gift of an hour with a career coach, or a professional resume rewriting.
- An offer of a lunch date with you and a friend who happens to work in the very field that your gift recipient is in searching for a position in.
- Another invitation, simply the offer of a sympathetic open ear and a broad shoulder to cry on when the job hunting all gets too much. The holidays can be really rough on a job seeker, emotionally as well as financially and sometimes just knowing that they have people in their corner, cheering them on can be the best gift of all.
Job Fair Tips
Job fairs differ a great deal from one another, as does people’s opinion of them. To some they are a pointless waste of time, while others have had great success and have even been hired on the spot. Whatever your general thoughts on them, in a time when unemployment is still rising, any chance to get out and showcase your skills really might be worth your time. As long as you do a little preparation beforehand.
Before the career fair, check and see if there is an official website for the event (more often than not there is) Make a list of the companies who will be represented at the fair and spend some time researching those that interest you. Check for “maps” of the fair once you arrive to locate each employer’s booth.
